Daniel 12:11-12 KJV
(11) And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
(12) Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

Please bear with the poor English of the author.

1. The 1290 Days

Biblically and historically, the taking away of the DAILY (sacrifice) and the setting up of the desolating sacrilege both occurred more than once. Which particular events are meant in Dan 12:11?

Dan 12:11 belongs to the long and final vision of Daniel which started in chapter 10. Included in this vision is the prophecy about the abolition of a DAILY (offering) and about the setting up of an abomination that makes desolate in Dan 11:29-32. The person who caused these two events was Antiochus Epiphanes. According to the Apocryphal book 1 Maccabees which is one of the sources of historical data (not doctrinal) regarding these matters, the desecration of the Sanctuary, the abolition of the DAILY, and the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate occurred from 143rd to 145th year of the kingdom of the Greeks. (See 1 Macc 1:20-54 and note verses 20, 29, 45 and 54.) Historians put these three events caused by Antiochus Epiphanes from 170/169 BC to 168/167 BC. These three particular events by Antiochus Epiphanes can be calculated to have happened in less than three years. Even if we place the taking away of the DAILY at the time of the desecration of the Temple by him, the abolition of the DAILY and the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate stated in Dan 12:11 which have an interval of 1290 days couldn’t be what Antiochus Epiphanes had done.

1.1 The Setting Up of the Desolating Sacrilege

The Lord Yeshua, in his Olivet Discourse, mentioned about the setting up of an abomination that desolates which was spoken of by Daniel. See Matthew 24:15. As for me, this desolating sacrilege is the Dome of the Rock which was erected at the site of the Temple Mount between 685 – 691 AD. This could very well be the abomination that makes desolate meant in Daniel 12:11 and not the desolating sacrilege in Daniel 11:31.

From the range of years the Dome of the Rock was erected, which year should we use in calculating the start of 1290 and 1335 days? Well, this thing is included in what we are going to find out.

1.2. The Taking Away of the DAILY

If we will subtract 1290 years from the range of years 685-691 AD, we will arrive at the range 606-600 BC. (No year “zero” between 1 BC and 1 AD). Now, the nearest well-known taking away of the DAILY from this range of years was the cessation of the DAILY due to the destruction of the Temple in 587 BC. However, some sources including the Jewish Encyclopedia say that this destruction of the Temple happened in 586 BC.

The Biblical account of the fall of Jerusalem during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah can be found in 2Chron 36:11-21, 2Kings 24:1-21, and Jer 52:1-30. During that time, the House of the Lord was burned by the Chaldeans. They also burned down all the great houses of Jerusalem. They carried to Babylon the vessels and the other things of the Temple and they took the people of Judah to Babylon. Judah went into exile out of its land. The offering of the DAILY had stopped at that time but even the longest interval from this year (587 or 586 BC) up to the range 685-691 AD falls short of more than 10 years. So, the cessation of the DAILY in any of these two years is not what is meant in Dan 12:11. But that is not the only time (Zedekiah’s time) that people from Judah and vessels from the Temple of God were brought to Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The fall of Jerusalem at the time of Zedekiah took place during…

Jer 52:12-13
(12) Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
(13) And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire
(Read also verses 14 to 30 from your own Bible.)

…during King Nebuchadnezzar’s 19th year as king of Babylon. Now, read the following verses:

Daniel 1:1-4 KJV
(1) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
(2) And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
(3) And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;
(4) Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

The besieging of Jerusalem in this passage took place during the 3rd year of Jehoiakim king of Judah who preceded Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. Notice that some vessels from the House of God and some children of Israel were brought to Babylon. Of course, these were done by force and God allowed these things to happen. In the 1st verse of the 2nd chapter, it says:

(Daniel 2:1 KJV) And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

This means that chronologically, the besieging of Jerusalem in chapter 1 occurred during King Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st year.

19 less 1 equals 18. So, let’s subtract 18 years from 586 and 587 BC and we will arrive further backward in time to 604 and 605 BC. Now, let’s add 1290 years to these dates:

These resulting years are well within the range of years the Dome of the Rock was built (685-691 AD). But before we find out which date is the year that the DAILY was taken away (604 or 605 BC), there is something that must be addressed.

Question: In Dan 1:1 up to Dan 2:1, it is implied that King Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st year is the 3rd year of King Jehoiakim’s reign while in Jer 25:1, King Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st year is the 4th year of King Jehoiakim. Why the disagreement between these two passages?

Answer: It is said that the reign of King Jehoiakim in Dan 1:1 is according to Babylonian regnal reckoning.

2. The 1335 Days

(Rev 12:12 KJV) Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

What notable event(s) during those years had caused happiness (to the servants of God)?

In October 732 AD, a battle between Christian forces and Muslim forces took place between the cities of Tours and Poiters in France. This battle was called “The Battle of Tours.” It was the battle that halted the Muslim expansion to other parts of Western Europe after they had almost conquered all of Spain. It was the beginning of a long series of battles and wars between Christian and Muslim armies in France and in the Iberian Peninsula. These battles and wars ended in the fall of Muslim Kingdom of Granada in 1492 AD, clearing all of Western Europe of Islamic occupying forces.

All of these events are what the “War in Heaven” in Revelation 12 portrays, not just the Battle of Tours as some have supposed. When there was no longer any place for the Dragon and his angels in “heaven” (Western Europe) and when they were thrown down (occupying forces cleared) the War in Heaven ended.

Surely, the Battle of Tours which occurred in 732 AD and the subsequent battles and wars in liberating Western Europe from Islam had caused happiness to the servants of God. From 604 BC up to 732 AD are 1335 years.

We know now what year the 1290 day/year period started and ended – 604 BC and 687 AD respectively. 604 BC as the 1st year of Nebuchadnezzar is supported by VAT 4956. See Astronomical diary VAT 4956. 586 BC and not 587 BC is the year of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of “Solomon’s” Temple.

3. Closed Words and Sealed Book

(Daniel 12:4 KJV) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
(Daniel 12:9 KJV) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

How could Daniel shut up the words and seal the book that will last until the time of the end? In verse 9, why would Daniel be told that the words are closed and sealed if he was the one who closed and sealed it? God and the Lord Yeshua are the real authors of the book of Daniel. Was there something in Daniel’s “person” that could have closed and sealed the words? Or, could it be that there was something that he did not write or was not allowed to?

As for me, the seal of the Book of Daniel is connected to the time of the End. It’s like a time lock device attached to the book. The riddle of the 1290 and 1335 days are also time based prophecies. Are they connected to the seal? Let’s go back now to the 1st year reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

At the start of the book (Dan 1:1), Daniel used the Babylonian regnal reckoning of Judah’s King Jehoiakim because he was there when he wrote the book. In counting the 1290 and 1335 days, we used the year 604 BC (Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st year) as the starting point of the count because that is what the occurrence of the setting up of the desolating sacrilege between 685-691 AD and of the occurrence of the Battle of Tours in 732 AD are telling implicitly. There are no verses or historical data supporting Nebuchadnezzar’s 19th year as the beginning point of the count. To the majority of the people of Judah, the taking away of the DAILY from them was apparently on the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar. BUT to Daniel, the DAILY WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM (and from his companions) ON THE 1ST YEAR OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR! And the one who is talking to Daniel in his vision told him that:

(Daniel 12:9 KJV) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel was told that the words are closed and sealed. Also, it was said to him that he GO his WAY or WALK. This could be a hint that we should also go on his way or walk which could mean his way of reckoning the time of events in the vision and in his book just like the way he reckoned King Jehoiakim’s 3rd regnal year.

The absence of information on the correct reckoning of the time of events in the vision or in the book could be the seal itself or part of the seal. This seal which will last until the time of the end can be viewed in two ways:

1) At the time of the end, the book will be unsealed and opened because of the increased knowledge and technology that will be available. The book will be understood because of these things. This is the common belief.

2) At the time of the end, the book will be unsealed and opened NOT by the knowledge and technology of man (but these will be very helpful). It will be unsealed and opened by the timing of the fulfillment of an event which is part of something like an unsealing mechanism included in the book. The year in which this particular event occurs will be “agreeable” with the fulfillment dates of other events which are also part of the “unsealing mechanism.” And because of this, a key date/year will be established and all the other dates in Daniel (and in the other parts of the Bible) that are dependent on this key date/year will also be known or corrected. And these include the time of the End during which some of the events in the words and in the book are prophesied to happen.

The opening and unsealing of the words and the book would depend on the vantage point in time of Daniel.

The 2nd view presented above about the seal and how it will be removed from the book at the time of the end is what the writer of this article believes.

4. The Unsealing Mechanism

1) The Taking Away of the DAILY (Daniel’s reckoning):

This is the 1st event of the Unsealing Mechanism of the Book of Daniel. The counting of the 1290 and 1335 days starts at the year of the occurrence of this event. Before the time of the End, no one knew for sure that this particular taking away of the DAILY is what is meant in Dan 12:11. But it was already there in the Book of Daniel (1:1-3) – waiting for the other events at the end of 1290 and 1335 days to be fulfilled.

2) The Setting Up of the Abomination that Makes Desolate (Dome of the Rock):

It is the 2nd event of the Unsealing Mechanism. Before this event, solving the mystery of the 1290 days can only be done in a speculative way. No one could have known surely that 604 BC (1st year of Nebuchadnezzar) was the key date/year from which some of the other time based prophecies in the book are dependent. But when the year 687 AD came and the Dome of the Rock can already be seen being setup or standing up, the situation had changed. From that time onwards, it is already possible to solve the riddle of the 1290 and 1335 days. This means that from 687 AD, the words and the book were already open and unsealed but understanding them when they are already open and unsealed is another thing. Look at the book of Revelation. It is regarded by many as the hardest to understand book of the Bible, yet in that book the Lord says:

(Revelation 22:10 KJV) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

3) The Event that Causes Happiness (The “War in Heaven” of Revelation 12 which started in 732 AD at the Battle of Tours and ended at the fall of Muslim Kingdom of Granada in 1492 AD):

This is the 3rd event of the Unsealing Mechanism – the confirmation and fine tuning event. Even though the words and the book were already open and unsealed at the time of the setting up of the desolating sacrilege, it seems that historians before 732 AD (and even historians of today) were divided on the actual year of Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st regnal year. Surely, this thing had caused uncertainties but this does not mean that the words and the book were not yet open and unsealed at the early times when the desolating sacrilege can already be seen standing up. These uncertainties were caused by the lack of accurate, proven, and widely circulated historical data about Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st year, at that time. Given the correct historical data on Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st regnal year with the right or guided understanding of Dan 1:1-3, Dan 12:9, and Dan 12:11-13, one can solve the mystery of the 1290 days at the time of the setting up of the Dome of the Rock and he/she can even predict with accuracy the actual year of the 1335th day/year.

Now, when the Battle of Tours had occurred in 732 AD which was the start of the “War in Heaven,” the veracity of the year 604 BC as the 1st regnal year of King Nebuchadnezzar can already be confirmed. The uncertainties and doubts on this matter could already be eliminated from this time onward. The Battle of Tours which had caused happiness to God’s servants could also confirm at that time that the words and the book were already open and unsealed. But as was said previously – understanding it is another thing – it needs God’s guidance. Additionally, there are visions in the book that have their own separate seals.

5. The Time of the End

It is understood from what is presented above that at the time when the Abomination that Desolates can be seen standing up (687 AD), it is already time of the End. The article “The Olivet Prophecy: Arrow of the Lord” corroborates this thing. The time of the End is another great mystery of the Bible.

6. What about the 1260 Days of Revelation 12?

Some people say the 1260 (not 1290) days of Rev 12:6 started in 688 AD and ended in 1948. I agree with them. The nourishing of the “Woman” started in 688 AD and NOT in 687 AD in which the 1290 days/years ended. There’s a space of one year between the 1290 Days and the 1260 Days. Scripturally, this could be the appointed time for the fleeing when the desolating sacrilege can already be seen standing up or being set up.

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